Humidifying-valve.



1. w. SHEPHERD.V

HUMIDIFYING VALVE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT- 25l l9l2.

i al

x Pateilted Apr. 4, l1916.

JOI-IN W. SHEPHERD, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

HUMIDIFYING-VALVE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 4, 1916.

Application filed September 25, 1912. Serial No. 722,193.

To all whom z't may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN W. SHEPHERD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Humidifying-Valves, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to valves which are particularly adapted to allow the escape of steam or othenfluid in order to increase the amount of humidity in the atmosphere.

It is well known that in many cases, particularly ,when the exterior temperature is relatively :.low, the percentage of moisture in the heated air of a building beco-mes too low for comfort or health. Many expedients have been used to increase the percentage of moisture, among which may be mentioned various devices for causing the evaporation o'l' water by the heat coming from a radiator, register, or the like. Such expedients have proved inetiicient, since the percent-age of moisture in the air cannot be readily increased to the desired extent and the regulation of the moisture is diiiicult, if not impossible, to attain.

It is the object of my invention to increase the percentage of moisture in the atmosphere by the use of a valve which is so constructed that the steam escapes from a radiator or other similar device to which the valve is attached between a predetermined minimum and a predetermined maximum pressure, these pressures being capable of regulation as desired.

Further objects of my invention consists in allowing the steam to escape without noise and without appreciable condensation.

These and other advantages of my invention will be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, which show preferred embodiments of my improvements, and in which- Figure 1 is a vertical section through my humidiifying valve, a portion of the radiator -the pipe 10 is attached my humidifying valve, represented as a whole by 12. The valve consists .of a high pressure chamber 13 communicating with the pipe 10. At the end 'of the high `pressure chamber 13 is the The low pressure chamber 20 is located,

at the opposite end of the valve 12, and has the valve seat 21 at the end of the chamber. A passage 22 connects the high pressure chamber 13 with the low pressure chamber 20. The valve stem 23 is attached to the valve member 15 and extends through the passage 22. To the opposite end of the valve stem 22 is attached the valve member 24:A

having a beveled end adapted to be seated on the seat 21. The valve stem 25 extends from the valve member 24 to the diaphragm 26 located at the end of the low pressure chamber 20.

In the embodiment of my invention illustrated in Fig. 1, a pipe 27'communicates wlth the low pressure chamber 20, and has located near its end a hollow porous cylinder 28 which is attached to the pipe 27 in any suitable manner. As shown in Fig. 1, communication between the pipe 27 and the porous cylinder 28 may be eiiected through slots 29, if desired, but I do not limit my self to the particular means illustrated in the drawing for attaching the hollow cylinder 28 to the pipe 27. The end of the cylinder 28 may be closed by the plate 30 held in position by the rods 31 which engage the flange 32 on the pipe 27, the cylinder being thus securely held between the flange 32 and the plate 30.

In the modication of my invention shown in Fig. 2, the low pressure chamber 20 carries .near its end the hollow porous cylinder 28a, communication between the chamber 2O and the porous cylinder 28a being effected through the slots 29a. The cylinder 28a is held in position between the flange 32a and the ring 33 by means of the rods 31a. The valve stem 25a extends through the low pressure chamber 20 and is attached at its end to the diaphragm 26l carried by the ring 33.

Having thus described the various parts used in my invention, the operation of the many other similar same may now be readily understood. Let us assume that there is no steam inthe radiator 11. In this case the spring 16 will cause the beveled end of the valve member 24C to be seated against its seat 21 and the parts will occupy the positions shown in Figs. 1 and 2. When steam is allowed to enter the radiator 11 it will pass through the pipe 10 into the high pressure chamber 13 and then through the passage 22 to the end of the valve member 24. When the pressure reaches a predetermined amount (which can be regulated by the tension on the spring 16) the valve member' 24 is unseated from its seat 21 and steam passes into the low pressure chamber 20. This continues until the steam in the low pressure chamber is of suiiicient pressure to force the diaphragm 26 outwardlyagainst the tension of the spring 16 until the beveled end of the valve member 15 is seated on the seat 14, thereby cutting olf Jfurther access of steam to the low pressure chamber 20.

In the embodiment of my invention shown in Fig. 1 the steam passes through the pipe 27 and then gradually escapes through the porous walls of the hollow cylinder 28. vWhen a sufficient amount of steam has escaped in this way so that the pressure in the low pressure chamber 20 has become lowered, the diaphragm 26 again moves inwardly, thereby unseating the valve member 15 and more steam is admitted to the low pressure chamber 2O until the pressure has reached the predetermined amount so that the valve member 15 is again seated. The steam continues to escape through pipe 27 and porous cylinder 28, and as this operation takes place more steam is admitted to the low pressure chamber 20 in the manner just described.

In the modification of my invention shown in Fig. 2, the operation is similar to that described in connection with Fig. 1, except that the steam escapes directly from the low pressure chamber through the porous cylinder 28EL instead of passing through the pipe 27 and then through the porous cylinder 28. Y

A very important feature of my invention resides in the use of the hollow porous cylinders through which the steam escapes. By the use of such cylinders the escape of steam is entirely noiseless. On account of the construction of my valve it will be clear that the steam escapes in such position that the air in the immediate vicinity of escaping steam is heated by the radiator, so that no appreciable amount of steam condenses when it reaches the air.

Although I have described a porous cylinder as being the preferred device through which the steam passes in escaping to the air, devices could be used to elect a noiseless escape of steam without departing Jfrom the spirit of my invention.

It will also be clear to those skilled in the art that considerable change could be made in many of the detailed parts of the humidifying valve which l have described without departing from the spirit or scope of my invention and without sacrificing any o' the advantages thereof.

IVhat I claim is:

1. A humidifying valve adapted for connection with a source of steam, comprising the combination of automatic means for reducing the pressure of said steam to within predetermined limits, and means for noiselessly delivering said steam to the atmosphere, substantially as described.

2. A humidifying valve adapted for connection with a source of steam, comprising the combination of a high pressure chamber, a low pressure chamber, automatic means for maintaining the pressure of steam in said low pressure chamber within predetermined limits, and porous means for noiselessly delivering the steam from said low pressure chamber to the atmosphere, substantially as described.

3. A humidifying valve comprising the combination of a high pressure chamber adapted for connection with a. source of steam, a low pressure chamber communicating with said high pressure chamber, automatic means for maintaining the pressure of steam in said low 'pressure chamber below a predetermined maximum, and means for noiselessly delivering the steam from said low `pressure chamber to the atmosphere, substantially as described.

4. A humidifying valve comprising the combination of a high pressure chamber adapted for connection ,with a source of steam, a low pressure chamber communicating` with said high pressure chamber, automatic means for maintaining the pressure of steam in said low pressure chamber within predetermined limits, means for changing said pressure limits, and porous means for delivering steam from said low pressure chamber to the atmosphere, substantially as described.

5. A humidifying valve tcomprising the combination of ya high pressure chamber adapted for connection with a source of steam, a low pressure chamber communieating with said high pressure chamber, automatic means Jfor maintaining the pressure of steam in said low pressure chamber within predetermined limits, a delivery pipe communicating with said low pressure chamber, and porous means permitting the noiseless escape of steam from said delivery pipe to the atmosphere, substantially as described.

6. A humidifying valve adapted for conthe combination of means for reducing the pressure of said steam to Within predetermined limits, means for changing said pressure limits, and means for noiselessly delivering said steam to the atmosphere, substantially as described.

7. A humidifying valve adapted for connection with a source of steam, comprising the combination of automatic means for reducing the pressure of said steam below a predetermined maximum, and means for noiselessly delivering said steam to the atmosphere, substantially as described.'

8. A humidifying valve comprising the combination of a high-pressure chamber adapted for connection with a source of steam, a low-pressure chamber, a passage connecting said high and low-pressure chambers, valve seats at the two ends of said passage, a valve stem extending through said JOHN W. SHEPHERD.

Witnesses:

HENRY M. HUXLEY, L. E. HANNEN. 

